This invention relates generally to a shoe with interchangeable attachments. In particular, the present invention relates to a shoe with interchangeable heel members that include blade portions for providing shape and structural support for the sole of the shoe.
There are many reasons for a shoe with interchangeable heel members to be desirable to today's consumer. Women's shoes in particular are limited in usefulness based on heel height. A dress-style high heel and a casual flat heel may both be desirable, but each would be inappropriate for certain occasions. A compromise is usually made by purchasing multiple pairs of shoes for different situations. This often quickly becomes expensive, however. Further, when travelling or simply storing shoes, limited space is often an issue and restricts the number of accessible shoes. In cities with widespread public transportation, and especially those with subway systems, women often wear a pair of shoes with a flat heel on their journey to and from work and another pair of shoes with a larger heel while at work. To do this, they have to carry their work shoes to and from work. A single pair of shoes that can be easily converted to different heel heights would be a welcome solution to many of these problems.
Various proposals for shoes with interchangeable heels for varying the heel heights are found in the art. Such shoes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,670,996; 5,133,138; 5,410,820; 5,524,365; 5,675,916; 5,953,836; and 6,711,835. While assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices do not provide a shoe with interchangeable heel members that include blade portions for providing shape and structural support for the sole of the shoe. Shape and structural support are essential for a comfortable and attractive fit. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a shoe with interchangeable heel members having blade portions with predetermined slope.